Recent trends of unpredictable, dangerous activities at concerts have left many concerned about the future of live performances.
Last month, during a Bebe Rexha concert in New York, a member of the audience threw a phone at the singer's face – causing an abrupt end to the show and multiple stitches on Ms Rexha's face.
Pop singer P!nk was also a victim of a bizarre interaction between her and the audience when during a June performance, a fan tossed what appeared to be a bag of his or her mother’s ashes onstage.
Most recently, while performing in Austria, a fan threw a small object at Harry Styles’ face, leading to him bend over in pain.
On Moncrieff, Irish Independent columnist Tanya Sweeney said she thinks the trend is a result of fans wanting "social media clout."
"You've noticed a lot of these stories get picked up on social media, they go viral, and I think a lot of the time people just want to become a figure of infamy out of some of these events," she said.
"There was one instance in which the perpetrator actually said, 'I thought it would be funny to do it', which beggars belief as far as defences go."
Interaction
Ms Sweeney said fans may want to create a bond with their favourite artists in the heat of the moment.
"There's a sense that they want to just interact with the artists in a more substantial or meaningful way," she said.
"You have to look at maybe chemical enhancements – does alcohol, does cocaine play a part in any of this?"
Pink is left confused after a fan throws their mother’s ashes on stage. pic.twitter.com/g7AQ9kUH77
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 27, 2023
After COVID, Ms Sweeney said a lot of people have forgotten how to act in public.
"I think we just don't know how to be asked to behave in a public place," she said.
"You go to the cinema, everyone's carrying on like they're in their own living rooms, chatting away.
"I just think people need to relearn to be in spaces with other people."
'Big deal'
Ms Sweeney said people are expecting artists to go "beyond the pale" when attending concerts.
"Is it not enough to just sit and watch a band just go through their musical catalogues? No, you actually want an add-on for your money," she said.
In the 90s, it was a much bigger deal to have international performers coming to Ireland to perform, according to Ms Sweeney.
"Now, there's a situation where people will just go along to a gig, not because they adore Depeche Mode or Blur, but because it's a social thing," she said.
"There's the one song that they know, from the radio, that they'll just go absolutely bananas over, and then it's back to business and talking about tracker mortgages for the rest of the set."
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Gen-X
Ms Sweeney said the "bad behaviour" is not limited to one generation of concertgoers.
"A lot of the perpetrators and guilty culprits are actually Generation X – it's not something you can paint on a younger generation," she said.
"Maybe there's a situation where they're paying for babysitters, they don't get out often, and when they do they just kind of really tie one off.
"I think that actually makes me a little bit more protective of the experience because I'm paying for babysitters."
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